Video: Using the Pencil tool

When editing audio the Pencil tool has one function: to redraw waveforms. Often this is done to repair waveforms such as to eliminate a pop or a click on the track. To do this we need to zoom in all the way. So that the waveform becomes a single line. Let's go to the Zoom tool and we can just start clicking away or we can use Preset number 5 which will automatically take you to the sample level of the waveform where the waveform is a single line.

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Using the Pencil tool

When editing audio the Pencil tool has one function: to redraw waveforms. Often this is done to repair waveforms such as to eliminate a pop or a click on the track. To do this we need to zoom in all the way. So that the waveform becomes a single line.Let's go to the Zoom tool and we can just start clicking away or we can usePreset number 5 which will automatically take you to the sample level of thewaveform where the waveform is a single line.

Here it is shown as a single line. If we switch back over to the Pencil tool,we can now click and draw in the waveform. Now you can undo this drawing but ifyou do save the changes to the original waveform, the audio file is permanentlychanged. So take note of that.So, in this case, I'm actually going to undo that move. Now the Pencil tool hasseven different flavors. If we right- click on the button, you can see it hasFree Hand, Line, Triangle, Square, Random, Parabolic and S-Curve and these areall used for different purposes and I'll show you some of those here in a minute.

Now, to scroll through these automatically, you can just use the F10 key if you want. The Pencil tool has a lot of uses, however, not a lot of them are audioediting related. So, I'm just going to mention a few of them here quickly andthen cover them in other movies. So, let me zoom out so we can see what we'relooking at and go back to the Pencil tool and choose Free Hand.Now, I'm going to down to this Volume Automation lane and just click and draw.

Pretty cool! Very easy to add automation. I can also go up to the Tempo areaand draw in the Tempo Editor. I can make an accelerando here, have the tempo go up. On MIDI tracks, we can actually add notes with the Pencil tool. Let me showyou how to do that.First I'm going to zoom in on this track, so you can see the MIDI notes andthen I'm going to go back to the Pencil tool and I'm just going to click in thetrack here. Note that we're in the Notes view. (Music playing.)To make that a longer note I just clicked-and-dragged. You can also erase MIDI noteswith the Pencil tool if you press the Option key on a Mac or the Alt keyon a Windows machine. And the Pencil tool will flip around and turn into theeraser. You can erase notes, pretty cool. Finally, you can edit MIDIvelocities, let me go down to the Velocity view here and if you draw with thePencil tool, I'm just clicking and dragging and I'm changing these velocities to these notes.

So, as you can see here the Pencil tool has a lot of functions and I use it forediting audio Midi and automation in almost every session that I work on.And I'm sure you will too.

Learn by watching, listening, and doing, Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along Premium memberships include access to all exercise files in the library.

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Learn by watching, listening, and doing! Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along. Exercise files are available with all Premium memberships.
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